SAINT ANSGAR, Ia. — The South Hamilton Hawks football team opens their season on Friday night, as they make the trip to the Iowa-Minnesota border to take on the Saint Ansgar Saints at Saint Ansgar High School. Saint Ansgar won the 2025 matchup between the two by a score of 59-14, which was the first ever meeting between the two programs.
Saint Ansgar fell short of the ultimate crown in 2025, losing the Class A State Championship to MMCRU by a score of 30-17. Turning to 2026, the Saints have many new pieces, but harbor the same expectations that have become the norm for Saint Ansgar. Junior quarterback Porter Schwiesow is back after throwing for over 1,000 yards and 16 touchdowns, but the backfield is entirely brand new following the departures of Korben Michels, Connor Mullenbach and Joe Clevenger. Seniors Brody Dolph and Keagan Zacharias are two to watch lead the Saints wishbone attack, with help from sophomore Grayson Falk and senior Gavin Squier. Junior Trey Johanns and seniors Landon Hillman and Zade Schell lead the receiving core returning, as the offensive line will be a tounger led by the likes of Logan Wagner, Mason Beland and Alex Gonzalez.
The Saints do return a strong defense, led by senior linebackers Matt Clevenger and Keagan Zacharias. Clevenger is the leading tackler returning with 47 stops a year ago, while Keagan Zacharias finished with 19 tackles. The defensive backfield is a strong as well, as junior Trey Johanns led the unit with 6 interceptions in 2025, while fellow junior Jaeger Trytten added 2 more interceptions as well. The defensive line undergoes a near-full replacement, with the only returner in senior Brody Dolph at defensive end, who tallied 3.5 TFL and a sack last season.
South Hamilton looks to avenge last season’s opener by bringing back nearly all of their offensive production, including Class 1A leading rusher Wyatt Gelder. Junior quarterback Garrett Johnson looks to take a big step forward, with help from fullback Maddux Becker and fellow running backs Kaden Dean and Kash Northrop. Junior Ben Swenson and senior Davien Henderson lead the offensive line, as well as what should be a talented defensive line. Gelder and Northrop look to hold down the secondary, while Kaden Dean and Cooper Stuck are two to watch at linebacker.
Kickoff is slated for 7 PM on Friday Night at Saint Ansgar High School.